These examples are from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary.
Native Words can be traced back to Old English (OE) or Anglo-Saxon (AS). They are often historically related to words found in other Indo-European languages, such as German, Latin, Greek, etc., although they were not borrowed from these languages. We'll discuss historical relationships in Unit 4.
Back to WebLecture 1.1
Latin words
can be traced ultimately to Latin. They did not exist in Old English;
instead they were borrowed during the Middle English period or later.
Often, Latin words came into English via French.
Back to WebLecture 1.1
Greek words can be traced ultimately to Greek. They did not exist in Old English; instead they were borrowed during the Middle English period or later. English often borrowed Greek words directly from Greek, but occasionally they came in via another language, such as French.
Back to WebLecture 1.1
Exotic words are borrowed from hundreds of different languages. Larger dictionaries provide information about the fascinating histories of these words before they entered English.
Back to WebLecture 1.1
